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Jack Dwyer #3
Murder Straight Up
At ten o’clock “straight up”, just as the Channel 3 newscast begins, TV anchorman David Curtis clears his throat, looks into the camera, smiles—then falls face-first across his desk, murdered. Cyanide. The likely suspect is a teenage prowler who, earlier that evening, narrowly escaped the arms of part-time security guard (also ex-cop, sometime-actor) Jack Dwyer. What was the boy after? And, as far as the case is concerned, why does Dwyer sense that the news team is hiding more than they are reporting?
Who really engineered the death of the anchorman? Was it Kelly Ford, Channel 3’s aging, less-than-beloved news consultant? Or maybe her boss, Robert Fitzgerald, owner of a station whose ratings have declined almost to the point of bankruptcy? What about Mike Perry, pro-football player turned sports announcer, whose sturdy good looks help him hide a secret the victim knew all too well. Where does grizzly old Dev Roberts, Curtis’s co-anchor, fit in? Or Bill Hanratty, the singing weatherman?
Dwyer knows there’s a terrible secret haunting the news team. What is it? And what will all this mean to the ratings?
Who really engineered the death of the anchorman? Was it Kelly Ford, Channel 3’s aging, less-than-beloved news consultant? Or maybe her boss, Robert Fitzgerald, owner of a station whose ratings have declined almost to the point of bankruptcy? What about Mike Perry, pro-football player turned sports announcer, whose sturdy good looks help him hide a secret the victim knew all too well. Where does grizzly old Dev Roberts, Curtis’s co-anchor, fit in? Or Bill Hanratty, the singing weatherman?
Dwyer knows there’s a terrible secret haunting the news team. What is it? And what will all this mean to the ratings?
- GenresMystery
197 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 1986
About the author
Ed Gorman
463 books124 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. was a prolific American author and anthologist, widely recognized for his contributions to crime, mystery, western, and horror fiction. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gorman spent much of his life in the Midwest, drawing on that experience to set many of his novels in small towns. After working over two decades in advertising, political speechwriting, and industrial filmmaking, he published his first novel, Rough Cut, in 1984 and soon transitioned to full-time writing. His fiction is often praised for its emotional depth, suspenseful storytelling, and nuanced characters. Gorman wrote under the pseudonyms Daniel Ransom and Robert David Chase, and contributed to publications such as Mystery Scene, Cemetery Dance, and Black Lizard. He co-founded Mystery Scene magazine and served as its editor and publisher until 2002, continuing his “Gormania” column thereafter. His works have been adapted for film and graphic novels, including The Poker Club and Cage of Night. In comics, he wrote for DC and Dark Horse. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2002, he continued writing despite his illness until his passing in 2016. Critics lauded him as one of the most original crime writers of his generation and a “poet of dark suspense.”
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. was a prolific American author and anthologist, widely recognized for his contributions to crime, mystery, western, and horror fiction. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gorman spent much of his life in the Midwest, drawing on that experience to set many of his novels in small towns. After working over two decades in advertising, political speechwriting, and industrial filmmaking, he published his first novel, Rough Cut, in 1984 and soon transitioned to full-time writing. His fiction is often praised for its emotional depth, suspenseful storytelling, and nuanced characters. Gorman wrote under the pseudonyms Daniel Ransom and Robert David Chase, and contributed to publications such as Mystery Scene, Cemetery Dance, and Black Lizard. He co-founded Mystery Scene magazine and served as its editor and publisher until 2002, continuing his “Gormania” column thereafter. His works have been adapted for film and graphic novels, including The Poker Club and Cage of Night. In comics, he wrote for DC and Dark Horse. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2002, he continued writing despite his illness until his passing in 2016. Critics lauded him as one of the most original crime writers of his generation and a “poet of dark suspense.”
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 5, 2017
This murder story fits into the category of one that you read late at night and does not generate mental tension that will keep you from falling asleep. The murder is not one of blood and gore and there is not a major sequence of stalking/killing where there is a trail of violent deaths.
Jack Dwyer is a former cop that has turned to acting, nothing major, just small bit parts that puts his name on the screen when the credits are rolling. Even though he lives simply, Dwyer finds it necessary to maintain a part-time job as a security guard through an agency. When the story opens, he is on the job at a television station.
The local news is running live when he chases away a young man that has somehow found his way into the building. Almost at the same time, the handsome anchor keels over and dies in the middle of the newscast. The froth on his mouth leads to the suspicion of cyanide poisoning and that initial assessment is confirmed. Dwyer is blamed for the death and is told that he will lose his job unless he can determine who the murderer is.
Although he has some skills as a detective and actively pursues the case, Dwyer’s personal life is a shambles. He has relationships with several women, but all of them are generally dysfunctional. The reader is exposed to two general plot threads, the murder investigation within the hypercompetitive news anchor business and Dwyer’s struggling relationships with women.
Neither is terribly engaging, yet they are enough to keep you interested until the guilty parties are exposed. Not a great deal of tension, this is no thriller, just a solid murder mystery starring a man experiencing many difficulties.
Jack Dwyer is a former cop that has turned to acting, nothing major, just small bit parts that puts his name on the screen when the credits are rolling. Even though he lives simply, Dwyer finds it necessary to maintain a part-time job as a security guard through an agency. When the story opens, he is on the job at a television station.
The local news is running live when he chases away a young man that has somehow found his way into the building. Almost at the same time, the handsome anchor keels over and dies in the middle of the newscast. The froth on his mouth leads to the suspicion of cyanide poisoning and that initial assessment is confirmed. Dwyer is blamed for the death and is told that he will lose his job unless he can determine who the murderer is.
Although he has some skills as a detective and actively pursues the case, Dwyer’s personal life is a shambles. He has relationships with several women, but all of them are generally dysfunctional. The reader is exposed to two general plot threads, the murder investigation within the hypercompetitive news anchor business and Dwyer’s struggling relationships with women.
Neither is terribly engaging, yet they are enough to keep you interested until the guilty parties are exposed. Not a great deal of tension, this is no thriller, just a solid murder mystery starring a man experiencing many difficulties.
May 14, 2021
The 2nd Jack Dwyer Mystery.(The number system is off for this series)
Dwyer is a former cop turned actor. To help make ends meet, he's a security guard as well.( In the precious novel he was also a Private Investigator. But it's never mentioned this time around)
He's on duty at Channel 3 News when the Lead Anchor Man dies on camera. Cyanide poisoning.
Since Dwyer failed to catch an intruder just before the murder, he gets the blame from the security company he works for.
He decides to find the killer himself.
A good, but not great story. A bit of a let down from the 1st one.
But still engaging and entertaining.
Dwyer is a former cop turned actor. To help make ends meet, he's a security guard as well.( In the precious novel he was also a Private Investigator. But it's never mentioned this time around)
He's on duty at Channel 3 News when the Lead Anchor Man dies on camera. Cyanide poisoning.
Since Dwyer failed to catch an intruder just before the murder, he gets the blame from the security company he works for.
He decides to find the killer himself.
A good, but not great story. A bit of a let down from the 1st one.
But still engaging and entertaining.
August 3, 2015
Reading an Ed Gorman mystery is like sipping beer in a quiet bar with a good buddy while he tells you about his latest adventure.
Thus far I've enjoyed the adventures of three such Gorman buddies. My wife introduced me to Ed Gorman's writing with the Father's Day gift of a Sam McCain novel in 2005. The title, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?, turned out to be ironic, as she and I, despite her inscription answering Carole King's musical question in the affirmative, are no longer together.
But my relationship with Gorman is still going strong. I've read all ten Sam McCain nostalgia mysteries and all five Dev Conrad political mysteries. I've read his debut novel, Rough Cut, which one publisher mistakenly says is the first Jack Dwyer mystery. It's not, technically, although the narrator's voice does sound awfully familiar. First of the four official Jack Dwyers is New Improved Murder. I'm here to talk about the second, Murder Straight Up.
This adventure starts off on the wrong foot. Dwyer is working the night shift as a security guard at KLRD-TV, Channel 3. He's on the second floor making his rounds when his flashlight dies. Suddenly he's groping blindly and bumping his knees in a room that's “slightly darker...than in Richard Nixon’s mind.” I include the quote as a sample of Gorman's humor and political proclivity—a fair warning for Trump chumps to jump off now or strap in for the ride. There are more bumps ahead.
It's not a bump that sends Dwyer's heart a'thumping, however, but a scrape against an uncarpeted section of flooring “somewhere to my right.”
Several heavy heartbeats later the chase is on. In the dark. The perp gets away, down a fire escape into the rainy fog. Dwyer curses, notifies the police, notifies the security agency that employs him, and notifies the TV station's building manager. Then he takes a break.
He's in the station's coffee room eating a Ho-Ho, drinking a Pepsi and flirting with Kelly Ford, Channel 3's news consultant, when suddenly Ford says, “Straight up.” This means it's ten o'clock. The night news show is about to begin. The two of them turn to the monitor to watch it live. It is then, immediately following the opening sequence as the number two camera fixes on news anchor David Curtis, that Dwyer and Ford see the anchor get an odd look on his face. He grabs at his throat, mouth foaming, stands up, and then collapses face down across his desk. Dead.
No doubt it's murder. Some at the station hold Dwyer responsible. A plumber had left the rear door unlocked, but Dwyer should have caught it. Knowing his job is at stake he turns detective. His digging turns up the prowler's identity, a troubled teen with a possible motive. Police arrest and charge the teen, but Dwyer believes he didn't do it. There are too many other plausible suspects, most of them Curtis's colleagues at Channel 3.
Dwyer's not your typical rent-a-cop with delusions of grandeur. He was a cop, for real, a job he left to try his hand as an actor. His night job buys groceries and pays the rent. The acting? Well, let's just say our boy is still preparing for his breakout role. He auditions days and lands the occasional commercial job.
He's the most human of any detective I've seen in crime fiction. He talks like I do, using language assuredly inappropriate here, but fine for a novel. I would have to use a lot of ***s and @#$%&%$#@s to give you excerpts from Murder Straight Up. During a car chase, for example, Dwyer complains that his bladder is causing him a certain anxiety.
Here's a partial from that scene I can give you without the euphemistic symbols: I had the terrible uncomfortable feeling that I was going to wet my pants, and I was shaking so bad from nerves that even the soles of my feet were wet. Human.
Here he is consoling a burly truck driver upset over a fatal accident he believes was his fault: “G****, he’s *****n’ dead!” the driver said. He was obviously a good man, and this was all bull**** he didn’t deserve. “It’ll be all right. You weren’t responsible in any way. All right?” “He’s *****n’ dead?” This is not an uncommon reaction at traffic accidents. Shock and guilt. We’re a lot more fragile than the macho boys let on. I patted him on the shoulder again. I didn’t know what else to do. The siren was drawing nearer.
There is some fine humor in Murder Straight Up, as there is in most of Gorman's stuff I have read. I laughed so hard reading one scene I worried the neighbors might call 911. A couple of killers attack Dwyer on the rooftop balcony of a building where he has an “acting” job reading promotional hype at a gun show. A team of survivalists from the show arrives to “rescue” him. Shots are fired. Many shots. Eventually many police arrive. The ensuing conversation between the police commander and the gun show manager...well, I don't want to give anything away here. But if it doesn't make you laugh you sure as hell could use another beer.
Thus far I've enjoyed the adventures of three such Gorman buddies. My wife introduced me to Ed Gorman's writing with the Father's Day gift of a Sam McCain novel in 2005. The title, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?, turned out to be ironic, as she and I, despite her inscription answering Carole King's musical question in the affirmative, are no longer together.
But my relationship with Gorman is still going strong. I've read all ten Sam McCain nostalgia mysteries and all five Dev Conrad political mysteries. I've read his debut novel, Rough Cut, which one publisher mistakenly says is the first Jack Dwyer mystery. It's not, technically, although the narrator's voice does sound awfully familiar. First of the four official Jack Dwyers is New Improved Murder. I'm here to talk about the second, Murder Straight Up.
This adventure starts off on the wrong foot. Dwyer is working the night shift as a security guard at KLRD-TV, Channel 3. He's on the second floor making his rounds when his flashlight dies. Suddenly he's groping blindly and bumping his knees in a room that's “slightly darker...than in Richard Nixon’s mind.” I include the quote as a sample of Gorman's humor and political proclivity—a fair warning for Trump chumps to jump off now or strap in for the ride. There are more bumps ahead.
It's not a bump that sends Dwyer's heart a'thumping, however, but a scrape against an uncarpeted section of flooring “somewhere to my right.”
Several heavy heartbeats later the chase is on. In the dark. The perp gets away, down a fire escape into the rainy fog. Dwyer curses, notifies the police, notifies the security agency that employs him, and notifies the TV station's building manager. Then he takes a break.
He's in the station's coffee room eating a Ho-Ho, drinking a Pepsi and flirting with Kelly Ford, Channel 3's news consultant, when suddenly Ford says, “Straight up.” This means it's ten o'clock. The night news show is about to begin. The two of them turn to the monitor to watch it live. It is then, immediately following the opening sequence as the number two camera fixes on news anchor David Curtis, that Dwyer and Ford see the anchor get an odd look on his face. He grabs at his throat, mouth foaming, stands up, and then collapses face down across his desk. Dead.
No doubt it's murder. Some at the station hold Dwyer responsible. A plumber had left the rear door unlocked, but Dwyer should have caught it. Knowing his job is at stake he turns detective. His digging turns up the prowler's identity, a troubled teen with a possible motive. Police arrest and charge the teen, but Dwyer believes he didn't do it. There are too many other plausible suspects, most of them Curtis's colleagues at Channel 3.
Dwyer's not your typical rent-a-cop with delusions of grandeur. He was a cop, for real, a job he left to try his hand as an actor. His night job buys groceries and pays the rent. The acting? Well, let's just say our boy is still preparing for his breakout role. He auditions days and lands the occasional commercial job.
He's the most human of any detective I've seen in crime fiction. He talks like I do, using language assuredly inappropriate here, but fine for a novel. I would have to use a lot of ***s and @#$%&%$#@s to give you excerpts from Murder Straight Up. During a car chase, for example, Dwyer complains that his bladder is causing him a certain anxiety.
Here's a partial from that scene I can give you without the euphemistic symbols: I had the terrible uncomfortable feeling that I was going to wet my pants, and I was shaking so bad from nerves that even the soles of my feet were wet. Human.
Here he is consoling a burly truck driver upset over a fatal accident he believes was his fault: “G****, he’s *****n’ dead!” the driver said. He was obviously a good man, and this was all bull**** he didn’t deserve. “It’ll be all right. You weren’t responsible in any way. All right?” “He’s *****n’ dead?” This is not an uncommon reaction at traffic accidents. Shock and guilt. We’re a lot more fragile than the macho boys let on. I patted him on the shoulder again. I didn’t know what else to do. The siren was drawing nearer.
There is some fine humor in Murder Straight Up, as there is in most of Gorman's stuff I have read. I laughed so hard reading one scene I worried the neighbors might call 911. A couple of killers attack Dwyer on the rooftop balcony of a building where he has an “acting” job reading promotional hype at a gun show. A team of survivalists from the show arrives to “rescue” him. Shots are fired. Many shots. Eventually many police arrive. The ensuing conversation between the police commander and the gun show manager...well, I don't want to give anything away here. But if it doesn't make you laugh you sure as hell could use another beer.
March 1, 2016
One of the all-time best mystery series, ridiculously underrated.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews